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Derrick Rose torched the Raptors the last time Chicago was the opposition, but head coach Jay Triano can't help but feel good for the Bulls point guard.

Triano had Rose on the USA Select team last summer and had an early look at just how dominant the rookie could be against NBA-calibre competition.

"I mean we played that (soon to be Olympic gold medallist) U.S. team even in a couple of scrimmages and it had nothing to do with anyone else but (Rose)," Triano said. "Seriously, Mike Krzyzewski had those guys playing great defence. LeBron (James) and Kobe (Bryant) were all on top of their game. The shot clock gets down to four seconds and we have nothing going and Rose would just take over, get to the basket and score. All of a sudden we score five in a row, we're up 10-8 after five minutes."

Consider that he was doing this against the likes of Chris Paul, Deron Williams and Jason Kidd and you can see why Triano wasn't the least bit surprised by what Rose has accomplished this year.

"He was getting past those guys and finishing over other guys," Triano said. "He's just good."

DOUBLE DUTY FOR AP?

Anthony Parker's short-lived run as the starting point guard for the Raptors was so good, Toronto's coaching staff is reluctant to completely end the experiment. Yesterday in the morning meeting, Triano said his staff discussed ways that Parker can spell Jose Calderon, when the Raptors point guard needs a rest, while still fulfilling his role as the team's starting shooting guard.

"I have to be creative in managing the minutes but that might fit with trying to bring Jose back to form," Triano said. "He may only be able to go for the first five or six minutes of the game and then AP can take over at the point a bit."